Windshield heater



May 16, 1939.- J. H,

WINDSHIELD HEATER Filed Nov. 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Jase zJZ C072@ May 16 1939- J. H. COHEN 2,158,674

WINDSHIELD HEATER Filed Nov. 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JUS? 71H6' wi BY AT EY Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDSIIIELDy HEATER Application November 2, 1936, Serial No. 108,702

2 Claims.

This invention relates to windshield heaters and defrosters of the type including a transparent plate and a framing structure therefor, these parts forming a shallow box to establish a 5' more or less tightly closed air space between the device and the windshield glass on which the device is mounted.

A feature of the present invention is a shaping of the channel of the metal frame, so that a chanl() neled liner of soft material, desirably in the forni of a soft flexible rubber strip, can be interposed between the glass plate and metal frame and in such manner that both channels will overlap said plate over both of the opposite faces thereof.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of electrical heating means including resistance wires strung across the glass plate in the usual way, yet adapted to be completely mounted in place on the device before the metal strip is brought into the assembly. These wires can be and desirably are hung from small sheet metal clasps or clips adapted to be sleeved onto the two oppositely located edges of the glass plate and insulated from the frame by the rubber liner.

A further feature of the improved mounting means for the glass plate, is that the liner is so formed that the same carries, properly offset from its portion of channel form, a lip or rib running all around the device, to provide a spacing means between the glass plate of the device and the glass of the windshield, as well also as a means for creating in the customary way a partial vacuum in such space, when the heater is mounted on a windshield glass.

The new windshield heater, since its metal framing element can be of very light gauge material, is of reduced weight, and so is particularly adapted to be mounted in place on a Windshield glass by suction cups as now favored in the art;

such cups being usually carried by metal ears extended from the metal framing of the device and welded thereto.

Another feature of the invention is an initial forming of said channel strip so that when it and the buffer strip are drawn to I'lnal shape, so as properly to surround the glass plate, with the marginal portions of the latter snugly tight in the groove of the buffer strip, and with the buffer p strip snugly tight in the groove of the metal strip,

5l) the meeting or facing ends of the metal strip will be so disposed that one of the cup-mountingr ears, when properly located to carry that cup at its appointed position, can be secured by welding to both the ends of the metal strip, and thereby 55 transform the latter into a continuous rigid framing element and at the same time hide such secnrement or render the same inconspicuous.

These and various other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent hereinafter. 5

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an einbcdiment of the invention as at present preferred is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a View showing said embodiment in elevation, looking toward the face thereof which l0 is applied against a windshield glass.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, Ataken longitudinally of the device and through the mounting means for the glass plate in a plane containing the grooves in the buffer and metal 15 strips; the suction cups being only fragmentarily shown, and the main central portion of the device being broken away and removed.

3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. 2()

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary and elevation view, lookingin the direction of the arrows 4 4 of Fig. 2.

5 is a detail view, cn a very much enlarged scale, being a horizontal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a similar view, being a section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a similar View, being a section taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 4.

Fig. is a perspective View, showing the glass :l0 plate with a suitable heating means mounted thereon.

Fig. 9 illustrates a now preferred form of liner, fragmentarily, and in perspective.

The device of the present invention, in the ex- 35 emplifying embodiment thereof illustrated in the drawing, is shown as comprising a glass plate l0, mounted in a framing means including a soft rubber buffer, liner and sealer il, and an outer metal frame I2. 40

This liner il is of constant cross-section throughout its length, as is the metal frame i2, (see Fig. 5).

The metal frame is of channel form, and desirably is of very light gauge metal, so that, de- 45 spite its U-shaped cross-section, it can not only be readily longitudinally curved or bent to agree with the outline of the glass plate l0, which latter is here shown as oblong with rounded corners, but it can oe easily sprung away from and bent back to conformity with the outline of the glass plate. Thus the frame can either be made to nal shape, or to approximately final shape, and applied as the outermost element of the framing means for the glass plate, being first, if required,

slightly deformed, but always nally being forced to its Iinal shaping in bringing it properly in place about the glass plate.

The frame I2 is desirably a cut-oif subdivision of a channel strip; such subdivision being of a length and so longitudinally curved or bent that when brought to final position about the glass plate, the ends of said subdivision will meet or closely approach each other at or near any predetermined point around the periphery of the glass plate, as, for instance, at the point marked I2 in Fig. 2.

The liner II has a main portion which is desirably, as here shown, of true U-shape in crosssection, that is, with both legs of the U of the same length. This main portion of the liner II provides a continuous groove all along the length of the liner, for snugly enclosing the edges and edge marginal portions of the glass plate. The liner II, like the metal frame I2, desirably is a mere cut-ofi length of a strip of the required cross-section; just long enough to be wrapped around the glass plate lil, and to have 'the opposite ends thereof meet at some point around the periphery of the glass plate.

Liner Il is shown as so shaped transversely as also to include an offset sealing rib or lip lla, adapted, when the heater is mounted on a windshield glass, to coact with the latter, and with the framing I I-i2 and the glass plate lil, to provide a more or less sealed air space between the glass It' and the windshield glass. It will be noted that the metal frame l2, or U-shaped cross-section as aforesaid, is shown as having one of the legs of the U somewhat shorter in length than the other. This shortened leg, marked 2a in Figs. 3, 5 and '7, gives maximum freedom of iiexure to the root portion of the lip IIa.

Before the liner Ii is applied to the glass itl, the electrical heating means is mounted on such glass IG. As here shown such means includes four electrical resistance wires I3, two strung between thin sheet metal clasps or clips Ill and I5, and the other two strung between said clip I4 and another clip le generally similar to the clip i5. The clip lll is placed on one edge of the glass I9, and the clips I5 and l are placed on an opposite edge of the glass. Each of these clips has a main body of U-shaped crossesection, this body for embracing the edge of the glass iii on which the clip is positioned as well also as the portions of the opposite faces of the glass marginal to said edge. Offset from the U legs of these clips which are at the side of the glass lil to face toward the windshield glass when the heater is mounted thereon, are, as seen best from Figs. 2 and 5, upstanding extensions Ma, Elib, I :ic and 54d, these on the clip i4, and similarly upstanding extensions l5a and i603, these, respectively, on the clips I5 and iii A leaf spring Il is secured at a point midway along its length to the extension io; and between the two ends of this leaf spring and the extensions lila and IM) of the clip I4 are strung two of the wires I3. A similar spring IS is similarly secured to the extension iSd; and between the two ends of this leaf spring and the extensions Mc and ld of the clip ill are strung the other two wires I3.

The leaf springs l? and I8 act as tensioning and tautening means for the wires i3. With four wires thus connected to the clips, these wires are adapted for series parallel energization, which is now preferred, but not essential.

When the frame I2 is iinally secured in place around the glass plate IB, this plate, gripped shock-absorbingly by the soft liner II, is positively held in place within the framing structure, because not only do the opposite sides of the channel in the liner extend over the opposite faces of the glass plate, but the opposite sides of the channel in the metal frame I2 so extend.

After the clips I4, I5 and I6, with or without the wires I3, have been engaged with the glass plate IS, the framing for the device is applied. If merely the clips are applied to the glass plate I6 before said framing is applied, the wires I3 can be mounted in place on the clips at any time during the assembly of the heater. The frame for the device is added by tting the channel in the liner Il about the edges and marginal portions of the glass plate IG and forcing the metal frame i2 to tight t around the glass plate with the channel of the frame embracingly receiving the main body of the liner II which carries the channel for embracingly receiving the marginal portions of the glass plate. In thus applying these parts il and i2, rst the liner II can be applied to the glass plate, and next the frame I2 can be applied to the liner II, as already explained; or rst the liner I l can be placed in the frame i2, and then these two parts as one can be applied to the glass plate.

A plurality of suction cups I 9, here four in number, are shown as mounted in the usual way on ears 2@ offset from and welded to the metal frame i2 at suitable points around the same.

One of these ears, that shown to the lower left in Fig. 2, and at the bottom of Fig. 4, is placed overlappingly of the point I2 where the ends of the metal frame meet. This ear is welded to both said ends. One of these ends has a struck-out and curled-back tongue or hook I2b, and the ear it@ last referred to, at one side there of, is slotted at Ziia to take the hook IEb.

This provision makes it very easy to join together the opposite ends of the metal frame, incidental to mounting one of the ears properly in place; as, following the final bending-in of the frame i2 to the nal shape it is to have, and the proper engagement of the hook IZb with the slot in said ear, the latter can be drawn tight against the hook to hold or force the frame, or assist in holding or forcing the frame, to the iinal shape it is to have, and at the same time to locate the ear for proper securement to the frame by Welding and permanently lock the frame in that shape.

At any stage during the manufacture of the heater, but preferably after the ear engaged with the hook I2b has been welded in place, the other ears 28 are secured, also by welding, to the frame I2.

The clips Iii, I5 and IS, or any equivalent tments for mounting the resistance elements of the heating means, are easily and quickly applicable to the glass plate Iil, even though applied independently of the Wires I3; as by making such clips or the like of spring metal so bent and resiliently biased as frictionally to seize the glass plate in the positions thereon at which the clips are adjusted. When these clips or the like are strung with the heating wires before the clips are attached to the glass plate, such attachment can be done also easily and quickly. For instance, the clips can be applied to the opposite edges of the glass plate first by endwise approach of the clips toward said edges and then by endwise sliding of the clips along said edges until the wires are positioned exactly as intended.

A pair of split post terminals 2| and 22 for supplying current to the wires I3 are shown as connected to each of the clips I5 and I6 by way of fingers integral With the latter. These fingers as shown are offset from their clips to extend away from that side of the glass IU which is remote fromI the side thereof adjacent to which the wires I3 are strung. The terminal 2| is secured to that one of these fingers, marked I5b, offset from the clip I5, and the terminal 2 is secured to that one of these fingers, marked |51), offset from the clip I6. It will be noted that these terminals have collars intermediate their lengths, so that they can be secured in place merely by riveting over their inner ends as shown. Before being thus secured, the terminals 2l and 22 are passed, at their basal portions beyond their collars, not only through apertures in the ngers |51)` and |50, but also through aper'ures in metal strap 23. This strap is shown, most clearly in Fig. 7, as bent to L-shape, so that it will present an extension which can be fiat-wisely laid against metal frame I2, and welded thereto at the proper and an inconspicuous location to lock the wire-mounting clips I5 and I6 positively in place relative to the glass II). In order to prevent the metal strap 23 from short-circuiting the terminals 2| and 22, the strap, as best shown in Fig. 6, is insulated from both the terminalcarrying fingers |5b and I6b, by washers 24 and sleeves 25 of fibre or other suitable insulating material.

Once the frame I2 has been given its nal shape around the glass Il) and has been made a permanently continuous frame by welding in place the ear 20 which is to cover the meeting ends of the frame, the frictional grip of liner II on the clips I4, I5 and I6 will hold them and consequently the wires I3 to their predetermined dispositions. The strap 23 or an equivalent affords, however, complete and absolute insurance that after nal assembly of the heater there will be no relative shifting between the clips I5 and I6, and therefore no possible chance of shortcircuiting the wires I3; while the great length of the glass I4 equally insures, although merely frictionally, against any shifting of that clip.

The riveting-over of the inner ends of the terminal studs 2| and 22, so as to incorporate the metal strap 23 as a positive separator for the clips I5 and I6, is now preferred to be done after the frame I2 is united at its meeting ends; although such riveting can be performed at any time during the manufacture of the heater, as during a preliminary sub-assembly of the heating means, or at any stage during the assembly of the heater following mounting of the clips on the glass plate. Where the strap 23 is not secured to the clips I5 and I6 until, following the mounting of these clips and the clip I4 on the glass ID, the framing elements are applied, no trouble need be anticipated from` any such accidental relative shifting between the clips I5 and I5 as would later prevent proper application of the strap 23. When the clips are of resilient metal and biased to frictionally grip the parts of the glass plate I6 which they engage, they will maintain the required spacing relative to each other during application of the glass framing means. Furthermore, it would be a very simple matter to secure the clips I4 and I5 temporarily, in any one of Various ways (as by the use of' a suitable adhesive between the clips and the glass plato, or the attachment of a suitable spacing clamp to the clip extensions |519 and |619), against relative shifting during application of the frame parts.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

l. In a windshield heater, a structure comprising a transparent plate and a carrier therefor; a heating means including a resistance wire extended across said plate and supported by said structure, said carrier being in the form of an enclosing frame for the plate formed of a plurality of internested separate inner and outer longitudinally bendable strips and by reason of such bendability wrapped around the periphery of the plate; and means for connecting the 0pposite ends of one of said strips to close the frame, said means including a frame extension adapted to carry a suction cup, said extension arranged to overlap the meeting portions of said frame and being in hooked engagement with the frame.

2. In a windshield heater, a structure comprising a transparent plate and a carrier therefor; a heating means including a resistance Wire extended across said plate and supported by said structure, said carrier being in the form of an enclosing frame for the plate formed of a plurality of internested separate inner and outer longitudinally bendable strips and by reason of such bendability wrapped around the periphery of the plate; means for connecting the opposite ends of one of said strips to close the frame, said means including a frame extension adapted to carry a suction cup, said extension arranged to overlap the meeting portions of said frame and having an end permanently secured to one of said meeting portions, the opposite end of said extension having an aperture formed therein; and a projection formed on the other meeting portion of the frame adapted to engage the aperture of said extension whereby the frame is removably held to said plate.

JOSEPH I-I. COHEN. 

